The Caretaker
by KaydenceRei
Summary: Sawyer gets the flu, and who else is going to take care of him in Dharmaville other then Juliet? Whether he wants her to or not.
1. Sawyer's Flu

**Author's Note**: Okay, this one is a request, and I'm such a sucker for people's requests, so this one goes out to **NorthernWolf**!! I certainly hope it's up to your expectations!

(Remember everyone, if you ever want a Sawyer/Juliet story, just let me know! Throw me an idea and I promise I'll do my best for you!! Funny, sad, happy.. romantic. More then one, you name it! I'll of course, try and do it!!)

**The Caretaker**:

Juliet opened her eyes as she heard the phone ring in Sawyer's room for about the third time in a row now. Normally he didn't hesitate to get up and get the phone, but today, he'd ignored it three times. That wasn't like him at all.

She let a yawn escape her lips and she rubbed the tired from her eyes as she headed out of her room wearing only a tank top, and embarrassingly enough, a pair of Sawyer's boxers. He'd complained they were too small, so she'd taken the liberty of absconding with them out of the wash one day, and had since donned them as sleepwear. Not that she'd ever told him.

Her eyebrows arched slightly as she peaked into his room and saw him under, at least, three blankets and still shivering despite it. She quietly walked over to the bed where he was still sleeping and she stared as the sweat dripped from his face. Her eyes softened slightly in response and she put her hand to his forehead. "James.." she muttered with a shake of her head.

They'd been in the Dharma Initiative for nearly a year, and although it was rare that anyone actually got sick, it did indeed happen on occasion. She glanced at the phone as it began its shrill of ringing for the fourth time and she reached out, snatching it off the receiver. "Hello.." she stated hesitantly.

"_Juliet?_" Horace had questioned with slight confusion. "_I was looking for Jim._"

Juliet frowned as she glanced down at Sawyer. "James is.. sick.." she stated.

"_Do you want me to send the doctor over?_" Horace questioned, a hint of worry in his voice.

Juliet smiled a little at the man. He was sweet, there was no doubt about that. "That's alright, Horace.." she told him. "It looks like the flu.. I can take care of him, but I don't think he's going to be doing any work today.."

She could almost hear him nod his approval and obviously it took him a moment to remember they were on the phone.

"_Of course, keep him well then, Juliet. Thanks. And call me if you need anything._"

"I will, thank you. Tell Caleb I can't make it down to the motor pool today?" Juliet requested.

"_Not a problem._"

Juliet smiled as she hung up the phone, then she glanced over at Sawyer and frowned. She sat down on the edge of the bed beside him and placed her hand on his shoulder, gently shaking him. "James.." she whispered.

"Mmmph.. not in the mood.. got a headache.." he muttered, rolling away from her. "Maybe later.."

Juliet raised an eyebrow up in response. It took a moment before she rolled her eyes in response and stood, heading out of the room and towards the kitchen. She sighed, grabbing a glass out of the cabinet and filled it with water before heading back into his room, watching in silence as he kicked himself out of the blankets and tried getting up. "Hey.." she said quietly, heading towards the bed and putting her hand on his chest, pushing him back down onto the bed.

It had been surprisingly easy to force him back down and that worried her a little bit.

"Geez.." Sawyer muttered, squinting at her as she placed a hand on his forehead. "What're ya' doin?" he questioned, ignoring the way his body ached as he swatted her hand away.

Juliet rolled her eyes. "Get back in bed.." she told him. "I already told Horace you weren't going to the security station so you might as well lay back down."

"Why would ya' do that?" he questioned, exasperated that she would do such a thing. He took the water gratefully nonetheless and took a sip only getting a little down his dry throat before he wheezed a little and coughed.

"That's why," she explained with an eye roll.

Sawyer frowned at her. "You're not even a doctor anymore," he told her, standing up and putting the glass of water on the nightstand beside the bed.

Juliet remained silent as he started walking out of the bedroom slowly and yet defiantly. "What are you doing?"

"Can't a man take a leak?" Sawyer asked out of irritation as he headed towards the bathroom. She always had to know everything. Almost daily it was, 'you're working too hard; you're not sleeping nearly enough; wear your glasses, you'll get a headache; you forgot to eat breakfast.. so I brought you some food; or his personal favorite: if you keep being so unhealthy you're going to get sick.'

He wasn't even sure why it bothered him so much, because he knew that in a sense she was just taking care of him. But he'd never let anyone take care of him before and he sure as hell wasn't going to start letting Juliet do it. Sure, they'd lived together for a while, and even though people had a different idea about them, they were nothing more then.. he assumed, friends.

When he came out of the bathroom a few minutes later he couldn't shake the feeling of how cold he was and he frowned because he knew he was also sweating. He glanced at her in the kitchen now, as she dug through the cabinets.

"You should eat something," Juliet stated carefully.

"Not hungry.." he mumbled, taking a seat at the kitchen table and resting his head on his arms on top of it.

Juliet turned and glanced at him, and regardless of the fact he was being stubborn she couldn't help but feel bad for him. She let another sigh escape as she pulled some Tylenol out of back of the cabinet and filled another glass with water before she went over to him. She placed the glass down in front of him and the two tablets.

Sawyer glanced up at her with nothing short of frustration. "I don't need those."

Juliet couldn't help but take a deep breath to calm herself. He could be more then a little frustrating with his 'I can take care of myself' attitude, but at the same time she understood it. "Would you just humor me and please take them?" she requested, her voice soft.

Sawyer eyed her cautiously. He knew he did in fact need them but it was the simply fact that she had given them to him that made him say otherwise. He said nothing in response, nor did he take the water and Tylenol. He simply laid his head back down on his arms and listened to her grunt of annoyance.

"You know, I told Horace he didn't need to call the doctor," she told him. "But if you're going to sit here and do absolutely nothing that I ask you to do, then I'll just get the doctor instead," she stated angrily, and when he ignored her again she only got more angry. "You're being a child about this, James. Just take the damned Tylenol before I shove it down your throat."

Sawyer lifted his head and looked at her in shock. "You wouldn't dare," he stated, and from the look on her face he knew he was wrong.

"You wanna test that theory?" she questioned next.

Sawyer frowned, grabbed both the Tylenol and shoved them into his mouth before taking a gulp of the water to drown them down. It took him a moment after to stock coughing in response to it and when he looked up all he saw was concern in her features which frustrated him to no end. "Happy now?"

Juliet shook her head in response and walked back over to the stove, pulling out a pot.

"What's that for?" he questioned.

"Soup.." she answered frankly. There was no point in trying to form long sentences with him at the moment because he was just going to sit there and shoot her down on everything else.

"I'm not--"

"Hungry," Juliet finished. "Yes I know, so you already said."

Sawyer watched her. He already knew he'd pushed her buttons a lot this morning, not that he could help himself. It didn't seem to matter what he did, she simply didn't take the bait and break. Sure, she got frustrated, or a little angry sometimes.. but her threat to shove Tylenol down his throat was about the biggest break he'd gotten out of her yet.

He groaned and laid his head back down.

"What?" she asked, her voice gaining back its tone of sensitivity and worry. She headed back over toward him, going to once more put her hand on his forehead when he swatted her hand away again knowingly. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly in response.

"Gonna throw up.." he muttered.

Juliet's eyes softened. "Come on.. let me help you to the bathroom."

Sawyer shook his head. "Not gonna make it that far.."

Juliet frowned but she grabbed the pot off the stove she was going to use for soup and quickly brought it back over to him, placing it onto his lap just in time for him to lean over it and empty out whatever contents were left in his stomach. She involuntarily felt her attitude towards him dissipate as she rubbed his back with one hand and held onto his hair with her other.

She was vaguely surprised that his vomiting didn't make her at least gag, she supposed all these years on the island had given her a slight immunity to her gag reflex because _before_ the island, the sight of someone puking would make her nearly puke herself. Or perhaps it was just the fact that she'd begun caring about him enough that she could suppress it, but that was a thought she didn't want to delve into.

When he'd finished a few minutes later and she was positive nothing more was going to come spewing out, she hesitated for just a moment before she grabbed a rag off the counter and knelt down, wiping his mouth off. "Drink the water, James.." she advised in a gentle voice. She took the pot off his lap and carried it to the bathroom without really looking down at it before dumping it out into the toilet and flushing it away.

She let out a breath she wasn't even aware she was holding before she went back out towards the kitchen. She glanced down at the pot with a certain distaste before she walked to the front door and tossed it outside on the porch, ignoring a few choice looks in her direction. She honestly didn't care about the pot, or keeping it in case he wasn't able to make it to the bathroom again. She would just give him a different pot.

Once she shut the door she looked back over at him with his forehead resting on the table and she frowned. But when she looked at the glass of water she noticed he'd drank a lot of it down. She pulled off another cloth from the stove and ran cold water over it from the sink before she headed back over to him and wiped down his face from the sweat. She only glanced up when there was a knock at the door and she hesitated before folding the cloth and putting it on the back of his neck, heading to the door.

Juliet couldn't say she was surprised to see Horace and Amy at the door because she knew they'd eventually show up on their own to see how Sawyer was. She almost chuckled as she noticed them both eying the pot warily and with as much distaste as she had. "I'd suggest a quarantine," she teased before opening the door and stepping aside to let them in.

Amy held out a plastic container for Juliet. "I figured he's probably giving you a hard time, you probably haven't had the chance, so I made soup.." she told the blonde. She was already good friends with Juliet, and truthfully she'd been fond of her since the first day they met.

"Thank you.." Juliet stated gratefully, taking the container and setting it down on the counter before she cast a glance over in Sawyer's direction.

Horace watched the gaze Juliet gave towards LaFleur and he could only barely suppress the chuckle that neither really knew how much they actually cared for the other. "Any better then this morning?" he asked curiously, though from the looks of his recently appointed head of security, he was guessing the answer was no.

Juliet let out a sigh as she shut the door behind them. "I'd love to say yes, but he was too stubborn to stay in bed.. so.. no."

"Are you sure you don't want me to get the doctor here for him?" Horace asked her. He knew she just wanted to take care of him herself, but sometimes a doctor was necessary.

"Honestly," Juliet stated. "Calling the doctor in here would probably make him even more frustrated.." she answered. "And if you want the truth.. I have a fair amount of medical training myself.."

Horace looked slightly surprised, but when he glanced at Amy he could see that she was already well aware of Juliet's previous statement before now. "You do?" he asked. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Juliet glanced back at Sawyer to check on him before she looked Horace in the eyes. "I saw too much.. death," she admitted carefully. "I became a doctor to help people.. not see them die," she said with slight frustration. "Medicine just became uncomfortable for me.."

Horace let her words wash over him and he knew not to push the subject any further. LaFleur was obviously wearing her down, he could see it in her eyes. She was already tired, and it only made him worried she would get sick to. "Are you sure you don't need anything, Juliet?" he asked her, worry clear in his voice. "You look tired.. if you need help don't hesitate to tell us."

Juliet smiled a little in response. She was about to reply when she heard Sawyer mutter something from the table about being sick again and she frowned, not hesitating to pull his chair out and lean his head down between his knees. "Just keep your head down for a minute, James.." she stated quietly before opening a cabinet and hauling out another pot. She was going to have to keep this one handy, because if she didn't she would simply run out of pots to use.

She was back over to him just as quickly, lifting him up enough to place the pot on his lap and help him lean himself on it before she heard it all erupt again. She sighed, moving his hair back once more and rubbing circles on his back. She forgot for just a moment that Horace and Amy were still there and she glanced up at them and gave them a sad smile. "If you don't mind Horace.. after this I may need your help getting him back to the bedroom to lay down.."

Horace nodded softly in response, watching as Amy grabbed the container of soup and made her way over to the fridge to put it away. "Not a problem, Juliet.." he answered. He watched the pure affection Juliet had for the man she was taking care of and he wondered how exactly, LaFleur couldn't see it before now. And he assumed the man was far too gone at the moment to really know what was happening. He was going to have to have a chat with the man once he was feeling better.

Juliet watched as he once again grunted out a noise that meant there was nothing left and she grabbed the rag, wiping his mouth one more time before tossing it aside on the table and lifting him up to grab the pot. "Drink more of the water.." she said softly as she pulled the pot from his lap. She didn't bother taking it to the bathroom and instead emptied it into the trash, as distasteful as she found it. Then she rinsed it out in the sink and set it aside.

She noticed Amy's careful gaze on her and she looked back, smiling just a little before heading back over to Sawyer. "Want to help me move him now?" she requested to Horace. At his nod they both lifted one of his arms and put them over their shoulders and began walking him towards the bedroom.

"Smell nice.." Sawyer muttered out.

Juliet flushed a little as he leaned in closer to her neck and she felt his breath on her.

Horace released a chuckle at Juliet's reaction and helped her lay him down on the bed. "You're positive that you'll be alright?" he asked her one more time.

"I'll be fine," Juliet answered, looking up at Horace and smiling a little. She glanced back down at Sawyer when he began shivering and she frowned, placing her hand on his forehead. His fever still didn't feel any lower and she let out a frustrated sigh.

"Is he alright?" Horace questioned with a bit of worry.

Juliet sat down at the edge of the bed and moved her hand down to cup his cheek. "Yes and no.." she answered honestly. "He's got a fever, but the flu doesn't really care about that, you'll have a high fever and you'll experience chills.." she explained to him. "Covering him with blankets won't reduce the fever, or make the chills go away.."

Horace felt surprise and relief flood over him at once. She honestly wasn't lying about her medical training. "Don't get sick yourself," he warned her. "If he wears you down, please just call me to get the doctor, Juliet."

"Alright," Juliet replied, just to make him feel better. Truthfully though, she knew that she wouldn't do that. She felt obligated to take care of Sawyer, for whatever reason. "Thank you."

"Take care," Horace told her. "Let me know how he's doing when you get the chance."

Juliet nodded and watched as he left the room. It took a moment for her to register that Horace and Amy had just seen her wearing his boxers and she rolled her eyes at herself. She watched now as he opened his eyes and looked up at her. "Are you alright?" she asked immediately. "Do you feel nauseous?"

When he mumbled out something incoherent, she moved to stand up and grab the pot from the kitchen but instead his hand caught her wrist and he pulled her back down. She found herself laying across his chest and blew out a breath of frustration. "What in the world are you doing, James?" she questioned, attempting to pull herself off him, but his arms were locked tight around her.

"Yer' warm.." he muttered.

Juliet ignored the sensation she felt from his arms around her and made the attempt to break away from him again. "And you're burning up, let me go."

"I feel better like this.." Sawyer groaned out, not wanting her to leave. Truthfully, he knew it was a sorry excuse to use his illness to keep her close to him, but he wasn't unwilling to sink to that low, as he'd just proved to himself.

Juliet hesitated as she glanced at him. "I'll be back, James.." she assured him. "At least let me go and get the pot in case you get sick.." she requested, letting out a breath of relief as he reluctantly released her. She stood back up, heading out of the room.

Sawyer closed his eyes again, but he couldn't help the faint smile the registered on his face when he heard her muttering a few choice curses as she went down the hallway. He was fairly certain they were phrases that she'd learned from living with him. He almost felt like letting them loose as well, if only because he missed the sensation of her body.

Juliet leaned against the counter and took a deep breath. He was just sick, she reminded herself carefully. And the flu could wreak a havoc on your mind set, so she knew very well not to be taking his sudden interest in being close to her too seriously for the future. Regardless of how she'd begun feeling towards him, he'd made it painstakingly obvious over the past year that it was one-sided.

She closed her eyes for a moment before shaking her head. She admitted that she wasn't above sinking to an all knew low of actually allowing herself to enjoy his sudden need for her. So she pulled yet another pot out from the cabinet and filled it with cold water, tossing a few cloths into it before she balanced that pot and the empty puke pot, heading back towards the bedroom. She placed both the pots down on the floor before sitting down on the edge of the bed and wiping his face down once again, and she let out an involuntary gasp when his hand shot out and grabbed hold of her wrist in a tight grip.

Sawyer opened his eyes at the gasp, and seeing the hurt in her eyes he instantly let her hand go. "Sorry.." he managed to croak out. "Surprised me.."

Juliet's eyes softened a little as she continued wiping his face, then his neck. "It's alright.." she assured him and gave him a small smile.

"Lay down.." he instructed, his voice still a little hoarse.

Juliet eyed him with a bit of uncertainty. "James.. it's not a good idea," she stated softly. But Sawyer yanked her down beside him anyways and she felt him drape his arm over her waist from behind. Obviously that was his was of saying he didn't quite care if the idea was a good one or a bad one because it was what he wanted to do. She didn't know when, or how, but she eventually felt herself drifting off into sleep along with him.

She wasn't entirely sure what was happening, or how long she'd fallen asleep for when she felt weight on top of her, pinning her to the bed and breath on her cheek. And she opened her eyes to see Sawyer hovering above her, his eyes closed and clearly asleep. But obviously he was dreaming of something, and acting it out too seeing as he was now pinning her arms to the bed. "James," she called out to him, struggling to pull away, but regardless of the illness racking his body, his strength seemed quite in tact.

"James let go," she tried again.

"Not gonna do it.." he muttered out. "Don't wanna do it.."

Juliet frowned in response. She wasn't exactly sure _what_ he wasn't going to and didn't want to do, but she was fairly certain he had no idea what he was actually doing. "Then don't do it," she told him carefully, not exactly sure if he could honestly hear what she was saying.

"Can't make me.."

Juliet winced as he tightened his grip on her hands. "James, damn it.." she growled out, pulling her hands from his and trying to shove him off of her. And when she went to pull herself from under him she felt him drag her back and pin her back down. She got the feeling she wasn't going to have a choice as she reached her arm out and grabbed the phone, glancing over at it as she pulled it off the receiver and dialing Horace's number as best as she could.

She shrunk back slightly as he knocked the phone from her hand onto the ground and grabbed for her hands again. "James, stop, stop!" she yelled at him, smacking at his hands.

"Can't make me.. not gonna kill him.." Sawyer muttered next.

Juliet hesitated in response to his statement. She'd finished dialing Horace's number before he'd knocked it out of her hand and she could only assume he'd probably be heading over here when he listened to them. Unfortunately her hesitated bagged her hands being held down at her sides and she couldn't seem to get them away this time. "Son of a bitch.. James let go!!"

It took a moment for her to register his weight being pulled off of her and she took a deep breath as Horace pushed Sawyer down on the other side of the bed. She sat up and rubbed at her temples with her fingers, attempting to at least somewhat compose herself as Sawyer calmed down on the other side of the bed. She couldn't help the way she jumped slightly at the hand on her shoulder and she looked up to see Horace with a worried gaze.

"Are you alright?" he questioned immediately. He couldn't even begin to explain the worry he'd felt when he picked up the phone in time to hear Juliet yelling 'James, stop, stop' and he hadn't even bothered hanging the phone up before he ran over. He glanced at her wrists and the redness around them from where LaFleur had held her down and he frowned. "What happened?"

Juliet glanced at Sawyer and her eyes immediately softened. She couldn't even hold it against him for what happened. "Honestly I'm not sure.." she admitted, running her fingers through her hair. "He asked me to stay in here with him and I guess I fell asleep.." she explained warily. "Next thing I know, I'm waking up and he's pinning me down muttering about something he wouldn't and couldn't do.." she told him, purposely leaving out the part about him refusing to kill somebody.

Horace wasn't sure how she could stare at the man with such affection still after that, but he knew for certain that the man on the bed next to her was damn well lucky to have someone like her. "He didn't know what he was doing?" he questioned.

Juliet shook her head. "He had absolutely no idea.." she stated with confidence. "Thank you for coming.." she finally said.

"Of course.." he told her, helping her off the bed. "Lets let him rest, maybe get some ice on those wrists.."

Juliet smiled at him. "I'm alright, Horace, honestly." But she still followed him out of the room and towards the kitchen. She took the chance to glance down at her wrists to see the angry red marks on her wrists and she was fairly certain they would probably leave bruises. She grabbed his glass from the table and rinsed it out before refilling it with some water and placing it on the counter.

"Maybe I should just get the doctor, Juliet.." Horace suggested, heading over to her by the counter. "I don't want to take the chance he'll do that again, even if he doesn't know what he's doing, what if you can't get the phone next time?"

Juliet smiled warily at Horace but she shook her head in response. "I can take care of him, Horace.." she replied as she pulled out two more tylenol.

"I'm more worried about you now," Horace admitted. "He could hurt you, Juliet."

"He would never hurt me," she corrected him.

Horace glanced at her wrists again and frowned. The woman was downright loyal, but he understood that she couldn't bring herself to hold his fevered delusion against him. Even Horace couldn't hold it against him. "Be careful.." he warned her.

Juliet smiled a little. "I'll be fine."

"Juliet.."

Juliet turned her head from Horace, forgetting to even wave good bye as she grabbed the glass of water and the two Tylenol tablets and headed back down the hall towards his room. She glanced at him sitting up and frowned her disapproval as he turned the lights on. But her eyes softened as she saw the haunted look in his eyes. "Relax," she told him gently, resting her hand on his arm and holding the water out to him. "Just take a few more Tylenol and lay back down.."

Sawyer took the glass, but not without noticing the marks on her wrist and he frowned. He took a sip just to get his voice back before he asked. "What'd you do?"

Juliet glanced down at her wrists. "Nothing," she answered calmly before handing him the tablets and watching him swallow them down. She reached down to the pot and grabbed another wet cloth, taking the chance to wipe his face again. "Do you feel a little better?" she asked next.

Sawyer nodded. "Little bit.."

"Good," she replied. She placed her hand on his cheek and then his forehead. "Feels like your fever went down a bit, that's good.."

Sawyer frowned. There was something off about the way she was acting. "Are you okay?" he asked, taking another sip of the water.

Juliet felt her eyes waver for a moment with uncertainty on how to answer that, and obviously he'd seen it as well. "James.. what were you dreaming about?"

Sawyer blinked the confusion from his features at the question.

"Who couldn't you kill?" she asked quietly.

Sawyer frowned. The only way she'd know was if he was talking in his sleep, and just as he was about to open his mouth and respond is when the realization hit him on where she got those marks on her wrist. "Oh god.." he muttered.

Juliet felt her eyes soften in response. "Hey.." she said softly, reaching her hand out and touching it to his cheek. "You had no idea, James," she assured him. But she frowned as he shied away from her touch and rolled over onto his side, turned away from her. She sighed before laying down behind him and wrapping her arms around him, refusing to let go when he attempted to pull apart from her.

"I'm sorry.." he managed to throw out after a few minutes of silence. It took him a moment to realize she wasn't responding, not to mention the fact she'd loosened her grip around him. So he turned over, glancing at her as she slept. He was surprised at how peaceful she looked when she slept and he couldn't help but pull her closer before he closed his eyes too. For whatever reason she trusted him enough to stay, he definitely wouldn't forget it.

The first thing Sawyer noticed when he woke up was one, he didn't feel half as bad as he did when he'd gone to sleep the first few times with Juliet taking care of him. And two, he and Juliet were practically wrapped around each other to the point he couldn't find away to untangle himself from her without possibly waking her up.

A chuckle from the doorway of the bedroom caused him to look over and notice Horace standing there.

"Got yourself in a bit of a predicament, eh Jim?" Horace stated quietly, holding back a laugh as he watched the man begin pulling himself apart from Juliet. He watched as he successfully got out of the bed and Juliet simply mumbled something incoherent and flipped over onto her stomach, pulling a pillow over her head.

Sawyer followed Horace out of the room and down the hall towards the kitchen. "What made you stop by?" he questioned curiously as he sat down at the table and watched Horace put a bowl down in front of him filled with soup.

"Regardless of Juliet's decision that she would take care of you.. she looked tired," Horace admitted as he sat down across from him.

Sawyer eyed him carefully as he took a bite of the soup before he spoke. "That and what I did."

Horace felt his eyebrows furrowed. "You know what happened?"

"When she asked me about what I was dreaming about, I figured it out.." he admitted.

Horace sighed slightly. He could tell that LaFleur obviously felt horrible about it. "She cares about you, you know?"

Sawyer glanced back up at him.

"Not just as a friend," Horace clarified. "I saw the way she was looking at you earlier, you're not going to find someone like her more then once in a lifetime."

Sawyer remained silent as Horace's words rang through his head. The man had _no_ idea how 'one of a kind' Juliet really was.

"What are you doing out of bed?"

Both men turned and looked at Juliet in the edge of the hallway, rubbing her eyes.

Sawyer hadn't ever seen anything like it before. There was Juliet, blonde hair all over from sleeping, rubbing her eyes, and wearing his boxers. He was too caught up by her appearance to form a sentence so he said the only thing he could. "Soup.." he answered, pointing down at the bowl with his spoon and not taking his eyes off of her.

Horace released a chuckle at his reaction to Juliet and stood up. "Looks like you guys are doing alright, I better head back to my house.." he stated before heading out the door.

Juliet tilted her head slightly out of confusion as Sawyer's eyes looked her up and down. She felt some color rise to her cheeks when she remembered the boxers.

"Aren't those mine?" he questioned curiously, full-well knowing the answer to the question.

Juliet chuckled. "You said they were too small, so they're mine now."

Sawyer smirked slightly before taking another bite of the soup.

"Make sure you lay back down when you're done," Juliet told him as she went to turn and go to her room.

"You gonna join me again?" he questioned, glancing in her direction in time to see her momentarily freeze in place.

Juliet frowned slightly, but she didn't turn around. "Pretty sure you're feeling a lot better," she stated simply.

Sawyer frowned now. "You made it easier to fall asleep."

Juliet turned back around and studied his face, and strangely, found only truth in the statement. "It's probably not a good idea, James," she admitted, leaning against the wall.

Sawyer sighed and walked over to her, placing his hands on the wall on either side of her. He would have laughed at the way she turned slightly red in response, and when she looked at him he had to fight the urge to kiss her. "You know.. you keep lookin' at me like that and I'm gonna have to kiss you."

"So?" Juliet questioned.

Sawyer chuckled now and rested his forehead against hers. "I'd probably get you sick, then we're gonna have to go through this all over again.."

Juliet took a deep breath and let it out.

"So, mind helpin' me fall back to sleep?" he questioned innocently.

Juliet smiled a little a shook her head in response. "Alright.. but only because your sick."

Sawyer just grinned in response before he headed back towards the bedroom, ignoring the rest of the soup completely as he took her hand and pulled her with him.

Juliet found it awkward at first to lay down with him completely and fully aware of what was going on. Even more so when he rested his head on her shoulder and his breathing evened out in seconds. But she couldn't resist the smile the fought its way onto her lips and she brought them down to his forehead kissing him chastely. His fever had definitely gone down, he was beginning to feel like a normal human being again.

She completely missed the grin that formed on his lips as she closed her eyes and let herself go back to sleep once again. She wasn't even sure how she could still sleep at this point, but she was almost positive it had something to do with the man sleeping on top of her.

**()()END()()**

Okay. No doubt about it, this was LONG. But hey, I kind like this 'someone's sick' story, so.. **if you want a part 2**, wherein he's passed the flu to Juliet. Just say so, I might just throw it up tomorrow night!!


	2. Juliet's Fevered Rage

**Author's Note**: Alright, wow so.. the executive decision by about every reader was for me to give you guys a part two.

Okay. Also.. I kinda sorta broke my keyboard more then it already was broken. So for any errors involving a 'V' or an 'M', I apologize. There's only a little black thing for me to press the 'V' and there's literally nothing but a flat circle for me to push my 'M'. Bleh. (All those who vote I get a new laptop, say 'I'. Haha.)

This one is for **Priiscila**. One of my favorite reviewers! You go girl!!

**The Caretaker**: Part 2

When Sawyer woke up the next morning, he couldn't deny that he was definitely feeling much better if not 100% and that it was all because a certain blonde had forced Tylenol, soup, water and sleep on him the entire day and night. But as he checked around the house he realized she was nowhere to be found today, at least not until he laid eyes on the closed bathroom door.

He frowned before knocking on it. "Juliet?" he called out, waiting a moment for no answer. He frowned before knocking one more time. When he got nothing he simply opened the door, and his heart nearly dropped out of his chest. Juliet was simply sitting with her head over the toilet, still wearing the same pajamas as the day before. "Son of a bitch.." he muttered, putting his hand on her forehead as she had done so many times to him. She was cold and clammy, and still sweaty at the same time and he wasn't entirely sure what it meant. He wasn't even sure how long she'd been sitting there like that.

He didn't think, he just lifted her into his arms. And suddenly it dawned on him how incredibly slim Juliet actually was, because with the Dharma jumpsuit she wore all the time you wouldn't have a clue the curves this woman had. And before Dharma, he'd hardly thought to give her a once-over. He frowned as he immediately went out to the front room with her and barely managed to lay her down on the couch before a knock on the door sounded.

Sawyer headed over to it and opened it up.

"Jim, I was just coming over to check on how you're doing," Horace admitted with a slight shrug.

Sawyer shook his head. "I feel fine," he told the other man before motioning him inside. "Only I think I got Juliet sick.."

Horace arched an eyebrow up in response as he watched LaFleur point him over to the couch where Juliet was fast asleep.

"Found her head first on the toilet a few minutes ago.." Sawyer explained, heading over to her and kneeling down beside her. "I ain't no doctor, H.. I got no idea what I'm suppose to do.."

Horace found himself smiling regardless of Juliet's condition. These two were such an odd pair. By all standards they were two complete opposites as far as he'd seen them in the past year. LaFleur could be cranky, a bit sarcastic and not to mention mean, albeit he was a good person. And then Juliet came off towards everyone as gentle, honest, and she appeared to care about other people more then herself.

"Well.. we can take her to the infirmary if you want," Horace suggested. "Or you can just do exactly what she did," he stated as well. "There's no cure for the flu, Jim.."

Sawyer frowned in response to his answer.

Horace chuckled. "You just need to make sure she drinks a lot of water, get her to take some tylenol, and make sure she gets a lot of rest," he explained for him. "Would also be a good idea to keep her cooled off, she had the very smart idea to wipe your face and neck with a wet cloth.. you can do that."

Sawyer sighed, running his hand through his hair. He'd never taken care of somebody before, the idea was just foreign to him. But Horace seemed to think that he could do it, his only issue was the thought of letting her down. "And soup.." he stated quietly.

Horace smiled. "Yes Jim, soup helps.." he told him. "I'll see if Amy can make some for her, and don't worry about a thing," he told his head of security, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Women like it when you actually take care of them."

Sawyer eyed him with suspicion. "Not this woman.." he mumbled out in response, glancing at Juliet.

Horace let out a laugh straight from the belly. "Think of it this way, she put up with you for 24 hours while you grumbled half the time about not wanting her to do things for you," he pointed out. "I think you can do the same."

Sawyer chuckled now. "Touche, bossman."

"I'll go talk to Amy about the soup, first things first, get her some tylenol," Horace suggested as he made his way out the door.

Sawyer sighed. He couldn't believe he'd just had to get advice on how to take care of someone with the flu. He headed over to the sink and grabbed a glass, filling it with water. It took him two minutes of fumbling through the cabinets before he found where she'd put the tylenol bottle and he pulled out two of the tablets before setting it down on the counter and heading back over to her.

He shook her awake gently. "Juliet.. upsy daisy, Nurse Betty's callin'," he joked, watching as she opened one eye and stared at him with a look he could only consider was one of annoyance. "How ya' feeling?"

"I hate you.." she muttered under her breath. "I haven't been sick in years.."

Sawyer chuckled. "Got some tylenol and water, here," he stated, holding them out to her as she sat up and rubbed her eyes.

Juliet arched an eyebrow up at him. She felt terrible, and she was positive she looked as bad as she felt. Her whole body ached, not to mention she was freezing. It was bad enough that she didn't even bother fighting him on it, she simply accept the glass with a shaky hand and sucked the tylenol down.

Sawyer was surprised at how fast she sucked the tylenol down. Too bad he didn't notice how shaky her hand was, because the glass tipped a little too fast, and dropped down spilling the water onto her shirt and shorts and he probably would have been more amused if she hadn't paled out so much. The thing that worried him the most was the fact a few tears fell down her cheeks in reaction to it. "Hey.." he said quietly, moving the glass off her lap and putting it on the floor.

He frowned because she didn't answer, she just kind of.. sniffled. He supposed that was the only way to explain it. "Relax.." he told her softly, moving her hair out of her face. "It was an accident, Juliet."

Juliet shook her head, letting out another sniffle and a few more tears even as someone knocked on the door.

Sawyer sighed, standing up and heading towards the door. He opened it up and stared at Amy holding a bowl, no one made soup that fast. Regardless, he opened it further and let her in.

Amy smiled. "Horace said you needed more soup.. and I still had a lot leftover," she admitted before she glanced over at the couch hearing sniffles. She blinked away the bafflement and looked back at LaFleur. "Wow.. did you make her cry?"

Sawyer looked dumbfounded in response. "I don't know.." he answered honestly. "She dropped her water and then she just.." he shrugged motioning over to Juliet.

Amy handed him the soup and walked over to Juliet, kneeling down in front of her. "Heat that up, will you Jim?" she called over to him. She looked at Juliet's wet clothes and smiled at her. "Shh.. don't worry about it," she told her. "Why don't we get you some dry clothes, otherwise you'll just get even more sick.." she told the blonde, pulling her up off the couch.

Juliet frowned, but allowed the other woman to half drag and half carry her down the hall to her bedroom. She admitted it was at least less awkward if Amy helped her then having to ask Sawyer to do it, even though she was positive he would have been chivalrous about it, she still preferred not to do so.

"I think you scared him," Amy stated, sitting Juliet down on the bed. She glanced back at Juliet who was trying to rub the tears off her face and she smiled softly as she pulled out a t-shirt. She opened up another drawer and raised an eyebrow up, because there were a few more pairs of LaFleur's boxers in there. She cast a glance back over to Juliet again who seemed to have gained a little color back in her cheeks, probably from embarrassment.

Amy grinned and pulled out another pair of boxers cheekily. "You wanna put these on?" she questioned, waggling her eyebrows at Juliet.

Juliet let out a strangled laugh in response which made her cough and shook her head. "Pajama pants are in the next drawer.." she explained.

Amy chuckled but nodded and put the boxers back in before going to the next drawer and grabbing a pair of pajama pants. She brought them over to her. She watched as Juliet began peeling off the wet clothes with shaky hands and she felt bad for her instantly. "Relax, let me help," she told her, helping her pull the shirt off. She'd already managed to shimmy herself out of the boxers, so she had to give her credit for that.

She helped her step into the pajama bottoms and let Juliet pull them the rest of the way up before handing her the shirt. "Try not give the guy too much of a hard time, sweetie.." she told her, watching as Juliet slowly managed to get the shirt on over her head.

"As if I could.." Juliet mumbled out in return, her throat feeling raw. "I can barely get changed.."

Amy's eyes softened a little. "Lay down and get some rest, Jim's heating up the soup.. you're out of those wet clothes," she explained in a gentle voice. She watched as Juliet did as she said.

"Headache sucks.." Juliet muttered.

Amy tilted her head to the side and smiled sadly. She'd never seen the poor woman so uncomfortable in her life. So she sat down on the edge of the bed as Juliet pulled the covers around herself and she pulled her head onto her lap, massaging her temples with two fingers. The least she could do was stay for a few minutes while LaFleur finished heating up the soup, she felt bad leaving Juliet in the bed alone.

She couldn't help but think that Juliet seemed to affected a lot worse by the flu then LaFleur had been, and she supposed it just depended on who you were. The flu could mildly effect you, or it could be more severe depending on the person.. and now she wondered if the reason Juliet had seemed so tired yesterday was because she'd already been feeling sick.. which would explain why she was looking even worse today.

"How's she doin?" Sawyer questioned, walking into the room with the soup in his hand. He was a little surprised at the scene in front of him. So far Juliet had simply allowed herself to be taken care of, which was completely different from her usual independent attitude.

Amy had noticed a few minutes ago that Juliet had already dozed off, so she gently laid her head back on the pillow and glanced over at him. "I think she already had the flu yesterday when you had it," she stated quietly.

Sawyer raised an eyebrow up at her. "You're kidding right?"

Amy shook her head. "I don't think she wanted to admit that she wasn't feeling very well either.. and I wish I'd thought about it at the time, but it didn't really hit me until just now.. think about it."

Sawyer frowned as he glanced at Juliet and placed the soup on the end table beside the bed. Amy was right. Juliet had slept just as much as he had, in a sense. But when she wasn't sleeping she was too busy running around and trying to make him feel better. He let out a soft groan in response.

"She'll be alright with you taking care of her," Amy said with a wink as she stood up from the bed. "Just don't let her push you around, I can already tell she's pretty good at it."

Sawyer eyed her suspiciously.

Amy smiled and shrugged. "Give me or Horace a call if you need us, you know we'll head right over.." she told him, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze before letting herself out.

Sawyer sighed as he looked down at Juliet. Even her breathing sounded over-exerted, as though she was having trouble just doing that. Why wouldn't she have just told him that she was sick too? He frowned, shaking her slightly, but he stepped away when she recoiled from him in her sleep. He was almost hesitant to shake her again, but he did so anyways. She needed to eat. "Juliet.." he stated, shaking her. "C'mon, you gotta eat something."

Juliet frowned and opened her eyes, glancing at him. "I'm just going to spill that too.." she muttered.

Sawyer smiled a little at her words and shook his head. He helped her sit up and lean back against the back of the bed. He grabbed the bowl and dipped the spoon in before holding it in front of her mouth. "Open up for the train.." he joked.

Juliet narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not three, James.." she stated in annoyance.

Sawyer smirked. "Choo-choo."

Juliet rolled her eyes, but she opened her mouth and allowed him to stick the spoon in there as she took a bite of the it. Once she'd choked it down she glared at him. "You're an idiot.." she mumbled in annoyance.

Sawyer laughed and shook his head before giving her more. They were silent for a few minutes as she continued eating the soup, and he felt bad with how frustrated she seemed to have him feeding her the soup. When she waved off the next spoonful he didn't attempt to force it on her as he stuck it back in the bowl and he glanced at her as she closed her eyes while leaning against the headboard. "Why didn't you say anything about being sick yesterday?" he finally asked.

Juliet opened her eyes and glanced at him, feigning confusion. "What are you talking about?" she asked, not entirely sure how he even knew. She couldn't stop herself from shivering when the chills hit her again and she frowned.

"C'mon, I'm not stupid," Sawyer warned her. "You slept almost as much as I did yesterday."

Juliet let out a sigh. "I didn't feel that bad yesterday," she admitted. She barely registered her head drooping to the side, and it took a moment to even realize she'd just laid her head down on his lap. Even when it hit her, she didn't bother moving.. she was too tired to even try.

Sawyer arched an eyebrow up at her but he didn't say anything. He just ran his fingers through her hair as she dozed off immediately. He glanced at the tiny bumps all along her arms from her being cold and he shook his head. When he felt her forehead he sighed with the realization that she felt like her fever had gone up rather then gone down with the tylenol.

Once he began moving her head off his lip he frowned as she gripped onto him.

"Where are you going?" she mumbled.

"I'm just going to get a wet cloth to wipe off your face, I'll be right back Juliet.." he stated quietly. He frowned when she shook her head though.

"It's Saturday.." she responded with a mutter. "You don't work on Saturday's, Ed.."

Sawyer arched both eyebrows up in response. "Ed?" he questioned. "Juliet.. it's.. James," he stated. He'd never really referred to himself as James before, not since they'd first shown up in Dharma and he'd told Horace his name. It felt more then just a little weird.

He watched with slight confusion as she waved him off with her hand and turned, burying her head under her pillow.

"You _always_ have a business meeting.." she grumbled from under the pillow.

Sawyer felt his eyebrows furrow in response. Was she dreaming? Even so.. who the hell was Ed, and why did her voice sound so much like she was implying he was doing something else rather then the 'business meeting'. If her dreams were going to be acted out like his though, then he was glad she was a pretty passive person. She was sweet.. in that.. 'I might kill you while you sleep' kind of way.

"Better go.." she mumbled. "Don't wanna be late for your _business_."

Sawyer blinked at the accusatory tone she took. He wasn't entirely sure he liked where this was going, and he wondered if he should wake her up. He shook his head, standing and heading out of the room. Even while he was going down the hall he could hear the one-sided conversation she was having with 'Ed' in her dream. He glanced in his room and saw the pot with the cloths and water and quickly grabbed it before heading back into hers.

When he got in there he frowned, watching her hands push an invisible person away from her. He placed the pot down and sat back down, grabbing a cloth he wrung out and then went to place it on her forehead after she'd pulled herself out from under the pillow. He snatched his hand back when she smacked it away though.

"Don't bother.." she said, her voice quiet.

Sawyer narrowed his eyes slightly. Her voice sounded timid, not at all like the Juliet he was used to listening to talk. It must've just been a bad dream, there was no way in hell she ever acted like this. He went to place the cloth on her face again when she shoved it away again and turned to the opposite side.

"We've been married for three years.." she mumbled. "You wanna.. go share her bed then fine.. don't expect me to share ours with you after though.."

Sawyer's eyes widened slightly in response. This was getting to be too much, he was just going to have to wake her up. He finally managed to get the cloth on her forehead and he frowned as she started shivering, but whether it was from the wet cloth or whatever was happening in the dream, he really wasn't sure. He was putting the cloth back into the pot when he heard something he couldn't quite make out.

When he turned and glanced at her he could see her lips moving but he still wasn't quite sure what she was saying. So he leaned his head down so that his ear was near her mouth.

"I hate you.." she muttered under her breath, almost inaudibly.

Sawyer frowned and sat up, staring at her. He knew that her spiteful words were meant for 'Ed' her dream husband. Either way, it was definitely time to wake her up. He gently shook her shoulders. "Juliet.. Juliet it's just a dream," he told her. "C'mon get up."

"Let go.." she mumbled angrily. "Let go, let go!!"

Sawyer stared in shock as she started slapping at his hands and trying to pull them off of her. "Juliet.. it's a not real," he told her quickly. Not fast enough because before he knew it her hands were planted on his chest and he was shoved clear off the bed, hitting the ground with a clear _thud_. "Sonuvabitch.." he muttered out quickly.

Juliet sat up instantly, sucking in a deep breath and trying to rub the tears from her eyes. It took her a moment to hear the muttering from the side of the bed and she glanced over in time to see Sawyer sprawled out on it and beginning to get up. "Oh no.." she mumbled, her hand covering her mouth. "Oh god, I'm so sorry James.."

Sawyer looked over at her in time to see her quickly moving off the bed in an attempt to help him. He frowned noticing her legs getting shaky and he reached out just in time to grab hold of her on the floor as her knees gave out under her weight. He quickly pulled her down onto his lap and let out a slight sigh of relief as she rested her head in the base of his neck, wrapping her arms around him.

"Shh.." he whispered, rubbing her back. "Calm down.." he told her quietly. He knew she probably felt as horrible as he had the day before when he'd left those marks on her wrists and he sighed as her body started shaking. "Juliet.. it's alright.."

Juliet just shook her head in his shoulder, gripping her hands in his shirt. "Everywhere I go.. it doesn't matter.." she choked out. "I always hurt someone.."

Sawyer tightened his hold on her. His eyes softened slightly because he understood what she meant, they were exactly the same. Even when they didn't know any better they wound up hurting someone, lately each other. What made her statement even worse wasn't just the fact she was crying, but the fact that her throat was obviously raw enough that her voice was scratchy and she hardly sounded like herself.

"You thought I was hurting you," he told her. "You weren't purposely hurting me, you were trying to protect yourself.." he explained softly. "It wasn't your fault.."

Juliet was silent, but still shaking her head in response.

"Tell me about him.." Sawyer prompted during her silence.

Juliet closed her eyes, attempting to simply relax in his arms.

Sawyer watched as she continued her silence and attempted to make herself more comfortable in his lap. He was surprised she hadn't tried to pull away from him yet because this was completely unlike her usual self. "Were you still married when you came to the island?" he finally built up the courage to ask.

Juliet frowned. "No.." she answered. "I was divorced.."

Sawyer nodded. Truthfully she never told him much about her life before the island, or even on the island for that matter. The only thing she openly told him so far was all about her sister Rachel and the nephew she's never met.

Juliet hesitated for a moment before she decided to tell him. "His name was Edmund.."

Sawyer glanced down at her. He hadn't expected her to actually tell him at this point, but he wasn't going to stop her just to voice his surprise so he let her continue.

"Honestly.. I'm not sure he ever really cared about anyone other then himself," she stated hoarsely. Regardless of the fact talking made her tired, she figured it might be a good way to get herself back to sleep. And he might as well know _why_ he got shoved off the bed. "He was my boss," she admitted. "Well.. not when we first got together, but he became my boss.."

Sawyer nodded his head to show he was listening as he leaned back against the end table.

"Maybe at first.. but not once he got that promotion.." she said quietly. "He was the nicest guy until all the power went to his head.. then he just thought that he could do what he wanted," she admitted, choking out a cough after. "Which includes all the newest research assistants.."

Sawyer raised an eyebrow up in response to that statement.

"I knew.." she stated cautiously. "I knew but I never really said anything.."

Sawyer held back a sigh on contempt. People had definitely used and broken the blonde in his arms and he felt horrible knowing that.

"You know what's sad.." Juliet choked out. "Is that.. the only person I think who ever cared about having me around more then my sister was probably Ben.." she said with a strangled laugh. "And he's a damned sociopath.."

Sawyer got that unsettling feeling in his stomach in her words. She honestly felt that worthless to the people around her? "I care about having you around, Juliet.."

"You hate me," she choked out in another sob.

Sawyer frowned in response to the statement. He sighed, resting his hand on her back and closing his eyes. "I don't hate you.."

Juliet just shook her head, pulling herself out of his arms and struggling to her feet before she walked away to the other side of the room and sat herself against the wall. She pulled her knees up against her chest, wrapping her arms around them and laying her head down on top of her knees. "You've _always _hated me, all of you have.." she said quietly.

Sawyer stared at her with a feeling of dread before he got up and started moving towards her.

Juliet looked up at hearing his footsteps. "Just.. go away," she mumbled, leaning her head back down. "I don't need your help.. I don't need anyone," she stated. "I've always done just fine on my own."

Sawyer took a deep breath in response to the statement. And she thought he had been stubborn the day before? One minute she was telling him about her ex-husband the skirt chaser, and next she was withdrawing back into herself and telling him she didn't need anyone's help. He sat down next to her, reaching his arms out to pull her back to him.

"Get away," Juliet growled out, pushing his hands away from her.

Sawyer almost found himself doing as she asked because of how angry she seemed but he stopped himself. Instead he put one arm around her back and the other under her knees and drew her back to him even as she smacked his chest to try and get him to stop. "Juliet," he stated. "Juliet, knock it off.."

"You're just gonna leave me anyways!" Juliet choked out, trying to push away from him until he grabbed her arms to stop her. "Everyone always leaves me.."

Sawyer's eyes softened in response and he pulled her even closer.

"Why won't you just leave me alone?" she finally asked, her voice wrought with the emotion and clearly strained from the illness.

Sawyer was just thankful she finally stopped beating the crap out of him to get away. "Because I'm not gonna be like everyone else.." he told her softly. "I care about you, Juliet," he told her, and frowned when she began to pull away again. She pulled her closer again. "I do, I care," he assured her, and he was glad when she finally began to relax.

"Why?" she finally managed to ask in a whisper, already exhausted from fighting him, from talking, from yelling.

Sawyer rested his forehead against hers as he held her close to him. "Because everyone's always left me too.." he told her. "You watch my back and I watch yours, remember?"

Juliet nodded her head slowly.

"We're in this together.." he told her, and he could already tell she was drifting into desperately needed slumber again as her head lolled to the side and rested on his shoulder. So he leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes too.

**()()END()()**

**Geez, talk about a cataclysmic flu encounter. Now _that_ was a fevered rage at its best. Remember if you have a story request you can leave it in a review or PM it to me!! The two requests already asked for are being written now!**


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